PAUL BERNARDO


'Paul Kenneth Bernardo', (also known as 'Paul Teale') (born August 27, 1964 in Scarborough, Ontario), is a Canadian serial killer, known for the murders he committed with his wife Karla Homolka.

Contents
Early Life
Crimes
Trial
Other alleged crimes
The Scarborough rapist
The Bain case
Homolka's release
Books and film
References
External links

Early Life


Benardo studied at Sir Wilfred Lauier High School. He attended University of Toronto Scarborough. His father is Kenneth and his mother is Marilyn. He has a wife, Karla Homolka. He was employed in Price Waterhouse and Amway.[1]

Crimes


Six videotapes found at the home of Bernardo and his wife Homolka were used as evidence in Bernardo's trial. The tapes depicted the rapes of Tammy Lyn Homolka (Karla's sister), Kristen French, and Leslie Mahaffy by Bernardo and Homolka.[2]
On June 15, 1991, Bernardo kidnapped fourteen-year-old Leslie Mahaffy, whom he then raped and murdered. Her dismembered body was found in Lake Gibson near St. Catharines, Ontario. On April 16, 1992, Bernardo, with Homolka's help, kidnapped Kristen French from a church parking lot. Again, Bernardo abused her, then murdered her.
Bernardo and Homolka, dubbed "The Ken and Barbie" murderers by the press, were also responsible for the death of Homolka's younger sister Tammy. Homolka drugged Tammy, and Bernardo and Homolka then assaulted her. As a consequence of the drugs, Tammy choked to death on her own vomit.[2]

Trial


Bernardo's trial for the murders of French and Mahaffy took place in 1995, and included detailed testimony from Homolka and videotapes of the rapes. The trial was subject to a publication ban and the venue was moved to Toronto from St. Catharines, where the murders occurred. During the trial, Bernardo claimed the deaths were accidental, and later claimed that his wife was the actual killer. On September 1, 1995, Bernardo was convicted of the murders and sentenced to life in prison. Later, Bernardo was also declared a "Dangerous Offender", making it unlikely he will ever be released. Since his conviction, he has been held in solitary confinement at the Kingston Penitentiary in Kingston, Ontario, for protection from other inmates.
In return for a plea bargain (12 years in prison for manslaughter), Homolka testified against Bernardo in his murder trial.[2] This plea bargain received much public criticism from Canadians.

Other alleged crimes


The Scarborough rapist

Bernardo is alleged to have committed multiple sexual assaults in and around Scarborough, Ontario.[5] The perpetrator of these crimes was commonly known as the "Scarborough rapist". Bernardo's lawyer, Tony Bryant, has stated that Bernardo wrote him a letter in late 2005 in which he confessed to at least 10 more sexual assaults.[6]
The Bain case

Bernardo is suspected of at least one other murder:[5] the June 1990 killing of Elizabeth Bain. Robert Baltovich was convicted of murdering Ms. Bain, but was released on bail in 2000 pending a new trial, after problems with the original investigation came to light.[5] Subsequent evidence, released in 2004, indicated that Bernardo had been acquainted with Bain, and had been seen with her on the day of her disappearance,[9] however Bernardo has denied knowing Bain.[9]

Homolka's release


Homolka was released from prison on July 4, 2005. Several days before, Bernardo was interviewed by police and his lawyer, Tony Bryant. According to Bryant, Bernardo claimed that he had always intended to free the girls he and Homolka kidnapped. However, once Mahaffy's blindfold fell off, allowing Mahaffy to see Bernardo's face, Homolka was concerned that Mahaffy would identify Bernardo, and subsequently report them to the police. Further, Bernardo claimed that Homolka planned to murder Mahaffy by injecting an air bubble into her bloodstream, eventually causing an embolism.[11]

Books and film


A number of books have been written about the Bernardos, and in October 2005 a motion picture of their story was released under the title ''Karla,'' starring Misha Collins as Bernardo and Laura Prepon as Homolka.

References


1. "Paul Bernardo"
2. Jenish, D'Arcy. ''Bernardo convicted'' Maclean's Magazine, September 11, 1995, retrieved September 2, 2007
3. Jenish, D'Arcy. ''Bernardo convicted'' Maclean's Magazine, September 11, 1995, retrieved September 2, 2007
4. Jenish, D'Arcy. ''Bernardo convicted'' Maclean's Magazine, September 11, 1995, retrieved September 2, 2007
5. ''Baltovich trial timeline'' CBC News, July 15, 2005, retrieved September 2, 2007
6. ''Bernardo confessed to more crimes: lawyer'' CBC News, February 21, 2005, retrieved September 2, 2007
7. ''Baltovich trial timeline'' CBC News, July 15, 2005, retrieved September 2, 2007
8. ''Baltovich trial timeline'' CBC News, July 15, 2005, retrieved September 2, 2007
9. ''Bernardo asks to talk to police about Bain case'' CBC News, June 7, 2007 (update), retrieved September 2, 2007
10. ''Bernardo asks to talk to police about Bain case'' CBC News, June 7, 2007 (update), retrieved September 2, 2007
11. Bernardo's lawyer says killer 'agitated' over attention given to Homolka CBC News, July 6, 2005, retrieved February 6, 2007

External links



The Ken and Barbie of Murder & Mayhem

Newspaper article on Bernardo's imprisonment in solitary confinement

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